KND Files
by rioludoodle
Summary: Transmission established. Now granting access to Kids Next Door database. Welcome. (Dumping ground for whatever one-shot ideas I have.)
1. Sector V

_**KND Database Active Operatives Sector V NUMBUH 1**_

Codename: 1

Name: Nigel Uno

Sector: V

Occupation: Sector leader

Security Clearance: A (plus special access)

Age: 11

Notable Missions: See SECTOR V (7.8)

2x4 Contributions: KND Defense Grid

Significant Relationships: NUMBUH 10 (cousin); LIZZIE DEVINE (ex-girlfriend); REDACTED; REDACTED; REDACTED; REDACTED; REDACTED

Comments: Incredibly paranoid. Workaholic. Reputed leader. Very effective operative. Dude, if you haven't heard the stories about this guy you were living under a rock during cadet training.

Warnings: Be prepared for operative's thirteenth birthday. Has proven capable of escaping decommissioning.

 _ **KND Database Active Operatives Sector V NUMBUH 2**_

Codename: 2

Name: Hoagie P. Gilligan

Sector: V

Occupation: 2x4 specialist; pilot

Security Clearance: A

Age: 11

Notable Missions: See SECTOR V (7.8)

2x4 Contributions: Too many to count

Significant Relationships: NUMBUH T (younger brother); LYDIA GILLIGAN (grandmother)

Comments: Goofy. Fun to hang out with. Technical genius. Excellent pilot. Skilled operative. Yipper fan. He'll eat almost anything, man.

Warnings: Very bad jokes.

 _ **KND Database Active Operatives Sector V NUMBUH 3**_

Codename: 3

Name: Kuki Sanban

Sector: V

Occupation: Diversionary specialist; medic

Security Clearance: B

Age: 10

Notable Missions: See SECTOR V (7.8)

2x4 Contributions: None

Significant Relationships: KING SANDY (stalker); MUSHI SANBAN (younger sister)

Comments: Airheaded. Loves Rainbow Monkeys. Effective operative when focused.

Warnings: Do not upset her.

 _ **KND Database Active Operatives Sector V NUMBUH 4**_

Codename: 4

Name: Wallabee Beatles

Sector: V

Occupation: Combat specialist

Security Clearance: C

Age: 10

Notable Missions: See SECTOR V (7.8)

2x4 Contributions: None

Significant Relationships: TOILETNATOR (self-proclaimed archnemesis)

Comments: Worst speller ever. Hotheaded. Highly proficient fighter. Potential replacement cadet trainer.

Warnings: Projected to resist decommissioning.

 _ **KND Database Active Operatives Sector V NUMBUH 5**_

Codename: 5

Name: Abigail Lincoln

Sector: V

Occupation: Second-in-command; stealth specialist

Security Clearance: A (plus special access)

Age: 11

Notable Missions: See SECTOR V (7.8)

2x4 Contributions: None

Significant Relationships: NUMBUH 11 (older sister - teenage traitor); HENRIETTA VON MARZIPAN (rival candy hunter)

Comments: Good under pressure. Skilled candy hunter. Excellent operative. She's the coolest girl ever.

Warnings: Watch carefully for signs of betrayal when operative approaches decommissioning.

 **For additional information in excruciating detail, see Numbuh 101**


	2. Autumn

**Autumn**

Numbuh 362 was having a very frustrating day.

First, she had gotten up that morning to find her younger brother screaming at his teammates over the phone because one of them had canceled on a big mission he'd been planning. Her parents had made her be the one to deal with him, and after that aggravating ten-minute argument (she'd ultimately pulled the Supreme Leader card just to end it), she was running late to get to Moonbase.

Not that it seemed to matter, because when she arrived at Moonbase, Numbuh 86 was nowhere to be found. When she asked, it turned out that the usually dependable redhead had called in absent. Normally, her Global Tactical Officer was there to help lighten her workload, essentially sorting through every matter that made it up to them from the communications officers and handling the more trivial ones herself unless something really serious required both their attention. Rachel T. McKenzie had once worked without a Global Tactical Officer, but after having someone there for just one day, she didn't know how she'd ever managed the workload of a Supreme Leader without assistance. All morning, she found herself desperately missing Numbuh 86's support.

Having slogged through the night's backlog of requests and reports from the other side of the globe all by herself, Numbuh 362 just barely caught the tail end of her lunch break. However, just before she was able to bite into the slice of pizza she'd bought from the Moonbase cafeteria, she was interrupted by Numbuh 65.3. He had, of all things, a written complaint from Numbuh 363, her _younger brother_ , about Sector V, _again_. It said more or less that he'd cancelled his mission, blamed Numbuh 1 for it, and was currently sulking in his room at home. She didn't even bother to read it all before throwing it away with her leftover soda.

It was almost 2 o'clock by Eastern Standard Time when Numbuh 362 realized that she still hadn't seen Sector V's weekly report. Odd. Numbuh 1 was one of the few sector leaders she could count on to always turn in a report on time. Then again, the last she'd heard, the Teen Ninjas had managed to quite literally gum up most of Sector V's equipment in a recent attack, so perhaps they were busy trying to salvage what they could and get replacements for what they couldn't.

She was feeling restless, it was a relatively slow afternoon, and Numbuh 362 was sure that Sector V would appreciate it if she could speed up the process of getting them new equipment. It was an act of kindness, she told herself, not a small piece of revenge against her younger brother.

"Patch me through to Sector V," she ordered the nearest communications officer as she leaned back in her armchair.

She expected to reach the comms hub of Sector V's treehouse and was surprised when the screen in front of her instead showed the Uno household's front lawn. Apparently she'd been redirected to the mailbox camera. The Teenz raid must have done more damage than she'd thought.

A very harried Numbuh 1 came running toward the screen, dragging a rake behind him. He stopped a few feet away, cutting everything below his shoulders off from view.

"Numbuh 1," she greeted briefly, "How's your sector's status?"

The boy saluted, "We're doing fine, thank you for asking. Numbuh 362, sir."

"What about the equipment you lost in the Teen Ninjas' attack?" she inquired.

Numbuh 1 replied, "I've already sent a full summary of damages to Global Command, but our base is still fully operational as of yet. We'll be alright until they get around to replacing some of our vehicles."

With a sigh, Numbuh 362 said, "Well, I'm glad to hear that Sector V is on track, at least."

"Rough day?" asked Numbuh 1 sympathetically.

"Yeah," answered the Supreme Leader with a tired nod, "Numbuh 86 called in absent, and you wouldn't believe how annoying my brother is being today. Or maybe you would, since he's usually complaining about you and your team."

Numbuh 1 winced and said, "Well, if he's upset because of Numbuh 85, I'm really sorry about that. And you have my personal apologies for Numbuh 86's absence."

Curious, she sat up and inquired, "What's that about Numbuh 85?"

"He and his sector and Numbuh 86 are all here right now," responded Numbuh 1, "Didn't you know?"

"No, I didn't. What's going on, Nigel?"

"Hold on," he said, coming closer to the camera.

He adjusted the lens' zoom and stepped aside, allowing Numbuh 362 a view of the simply _enormous_ pile of leaves covering the rooftop of his house and spilling into his yard. Startled but morbidly intrigued, she toggled the camera controls in front of her and panned around to get a view of the street. It was just as smothered in feet upon feet of red and orange leaves.

"For crying out loud…!" exclaimed the Supreme Leader, "What happened?!"

Numbuh 1 turned the camera back around to face him. He answered, "Well, it's autumn. Leaves fall. We've been clearing the front yard all day."

"Right. Of course. Ginormous treehouse. But aren't you supposed to have the 2x4 technology to handle this sort of thing?"

"We lost it in the Teenz' attack," grimaced the apologetic sector leader, "And my dad is making me help him clean up the yard today and tomorrow."

Numbuh 362 was beginning to feel confused, "Okay… But how did Fanny and her brother get involved?"

Numbuh 1 shrugged as he replied, "Well, my teammates agreed to rake the leaves with me, and then I think Numbuh 86 felt sorry enough for us that she came and dragged her brother with her to help. It was unexpectedly nice of her. And Numbuh 85 invited 84 and 83 to join us, too." His expression became one of irritation, "But then things started snowballing when my dad caught onto the idea."

"What-" she was about to ask, but interrupted herself at the sight of several people in the background, "Salty rainbow munchies! Nigel, the Delightful Children are right behind you!"

The bald boy turned around, then turned right back to face the camera as he responded blandly, "Yeah… Like I was saying, things snowballed."

If she'd thought seeing the Delightfuls was shocking, it was nothing compared to what happened next.

Father, of all people, walked into the background dragging three large, paper bags. The silhouetted man who was the Kids Next Door's worst enemy handed the overstuffed bags one by one to the Delightful Children and then shooed them toward the curb. Then, he turned and looked directly at the camera. Or rather, at his troublesome nephew in front of it.

"Hey!" shouted the supervillain accusatorily, "You're supposed to be raking leaves like the rest of your pals!"

Nigel yelled back frustratedly, "We changed shifts with the teenagers _ten minutes_ ago! This is the extra rake meant for _Chad_ , if the lazy traitor ever bothers to show up!"

"Another one trying to skimp out on hard work? Figures," growled Father caustically, "How many _times_ do I have to tell those _hooligans_ that if they don't finish _today_ , they're coming back again _tomorrow_!"

The grass under his feet was beginning to smoke.

Numbuh 362 watched the screen in front of her with disbelief written across her face as the 11-year-old leader of Sector V berated the KND's most dangerous enemy on his front lawn.

"Stop burning the grass!" exclaimed Nigel, "You'll get us both in trouble _again_! And I won't hesitate to sell you out when it's not my shoes malfunctioning at the same time!"

Father adopted a defeated slouch and whined, "Monty's just the worst," before dragging his feet as he walked offscreen.

Nigel turned around to face the camera again and said, "I'm sorry, Numbuh 362. As much as I would love to stay and talk, it's my team's turn to drop off the bags - and I'm sure you're very busy as well, sir." He hurriedly signed off, "Kids-Next-Door-rules."

The only thought running through the Supreme Leader's head by the end of that call was that the world used to make a lot more sense than this.


	3. No More KND

**No More KND**

With torn-up, lightly charred clothes, tangled hair, and frazzled nerves, three children sat on a lonely, metal bench in a poorly lit hallway. Everything that they could see was made of patchwork sheet metal - the floors, the walls, the ceiling, the door that remained shut to them just a few yards to the left. Everything but the single, wide observation window across from the bench. At least whoever had designed the oppressively drab hallway they were waiting in had the grace to install a view.

It was certainly quite a view. The slight, silver curve of the moon's dusty surface. The dark, beautiful abyss of space. Most alluring of all, the vibrant, blue and green planet in the distance. Half of planet Earth was picturesquely illuminated in rich, gorgeous sunlight, and the other half was dramatically understated in its velvetine night and winking city lights.

Compared to the dull monotony of waiting on the bench, being anywhere planetside or anywhere else on Moonbase _had_ to be more interesting. But then again, the children waiting on the bench had already had their fill of "interesting" for the day.

A red-haired boy who bore a striking resemblance to the Kids Next Door's previous decommissioning officer sat the closest to the locked door at the end of the hall. In the middle of the bench was a very young, blond boy in a hand-me-down orange hoodie - he looked the tiredest of the three. Last, but certainly not least, was an 11-year-old Japanese girl in short pigtails whose scowl could peel paint.

None of them wanted to be waiting on the bench. One of them would rather be home. Two would prefer to be at their treehouses, or if that was unavailable then anywhere _but_ home. All three held in their hands worn-out folders with multi-colored crayon scrawls all over their covers.

"Hah…" sighed the redhead, who looked the oldest of the three, "You guys doing okay after that battle? Mushi? Joey?"

Joey Beetles nodded slowly, meekly replying, "Yeah…"

Mushi Sanban sourly huffed, "I'm fine. Now shut up, Paddy."

"That's no way to speak to a higher ranking officer," Paddy Fulbright reprimanded half-heartedly.

Crossing her arms and impatiently tapping her folder on the cold, hard surface of the bench, Mushi scoffed, " _Right_ … Sorry. _Please_ shut up, Numbuh 85, sir."

Rather than getting up in arms over her blatant disrespect like his older sister would have, Paddy adopted an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry, Mushi. I know it was hard for you. And Joey too… Having to face those guys. All of them, together..."

Limply swinging his feet back and forth, with a haunted look in his eyes, Joey mumbled, "The Teens Victorious…"

Muchi clenched her fists together tightly, hissing with venom, "More like the _Traitors_ Victorious! Those stupid, stuck-up _jerks_ , picking a name like that!"

Paddy changed the subject, "Did you finish the report?"

"Hmph," grumbled Mushi, "Yeah. I just don't get why we have to deliver these in person."

"The Supreme Leader wants to go over the battle with us," explained Paddy, "Everyone's heard about it by now, and he wants all the information he can get before he makes any announcements to the Kids Next Door. This is a major development."

Mushi complained, "I should've stayed in the lab today. If I hadn't gone to visit you losers, I wouldn't be here now."

"If you hadn't come to visit us," protested Joey, "I don't think we'd be alive."

Paddy chuckled, "You really saved our bacon back there, Numbuh 3.0!"

Her previously relaxed posture tensed, and Mushi stiffly responded, "I don't want to be called that right now."

"O-oh," backtracked Paddy, "Sorry, Mushi…"

After a moment of silence, the dark-haired girl slouched over and sighed, "Whatever… I don't care. So what if those traitors are working together now? We'll kick their butts next time."

"But they're already scary enough by themselves…" murmured Joey, downcast.

With a small grin, Paddy declared reassuringly, "I know they are, Joey, but those teenagers aren't invincible. Not even if they've made some kind of alliance. We won't say die, because the Kids Next Door will never end!"

Mushi snorted with a note of amusement, "I find it ironic who you're quoting."

Paddy's smile faltered.

* * *

 _Two-pronged forks and cheese knives sliced through the air, pinning an unarmed girl to her own front door through her baggy pants and wide sweater sleeves._

 _Another child, this one a younger boy who could've been the girl's brother, snarled and charged forward with a battle cry and a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. in hand._

 _"Haahhhhhh!"_

 _He met a hard dodgeball to the face, sending him crashing to the sidewalk. The brave child tried to shake off the pain and get back up, but he was stopped by the sharp point of a cutlass in front of his nose. He didn't dare to breathe as he lifted his gaze to see the form of an infamous, enemy teen. The sun was directly behind her head, casting most of her face in shadow, but this was an adversary that few operatives would fail to recognize._

 _She was much taller than him. A bandana of magenta color was tied over her hair. A few stray dreadlocks hung down around the sides of her head. She had dark skin. Her jacket was navy blue. The gold earrings she wore were unmistakable. The teenage girl holding him at swordpoint was the candy pirate known by the moniker "Captain"._

 _He could hear an unholy, high-pitched screech of fury coming from a ways down the street to his left. It made him flinch. From the other direction, to his right, he could hear the sharp crackle of flames. He shivered, and Captain smirked down at him. The boy gulped in terror, but he could only thank his lucky stars that out of the five villains in their midst, it was_ her _threatening him and not one of the two youngest among the teens._

* * *

A few beats of silence, and then, Paddy spoke, "I guess… it is kinda ironic."

"You think?" jabbed Mushi wryly.

The red-haired boy chuckled, "Maybe I'm losing my head in my old age. My decommissioning _is_ coming up in a few weeks."

There wasn't anything that the others could think of in response to that. What do you say to a person when they mention how they won't remember you in a few weeks' time?

* * *

 _"Numbuh 4.4, go help Numbuh 2.5!" ordered Paddy as he ducked a dodgeball hurtling his way, "I'll deal with Novillo!"_

 _Joey nodded, whipped out his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A, and cut across the street. He made sure to stay out of Captain's view, and mentally apologized to his other teammate on the sidewalk for leaving him to the teenage candy pirate's mercy. He hopped the neighbor's fence and then rolled behind the bushes near the front porch. As quietly as he could (and he could be pretty quiet), Joey crawled closer to the front door of the house. Once within a few yards, he shot out the knives and forks holding Numbuh 2.5 to the wooden planks. She fell and landed gracefully._

 _He tossed her a spare M.U.S.K.E.T._

 _Numbuh 2.5 caught it and said, "Thanks, Numbuh 4.4."_

Zip! Zoom!

 _More sharp utensils came flying at them. Numbuh 2.5 leaped into the bushes, tackling Joey into the dirt. She quickly got back up to a kneeling position, peeking her head over the tops of the leaves._

 _A tall, heavily-built figure in predominantly yellow and orange samurai armor was stomping toward them in slow, heavy, thudding footsteps. His helmet was red, and it cast a shadow over his face. He carried a thick, wooden club as tall as he was. It dragged behind him as he marched across the grass._

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

 _"Oh, crud!" exclaimed Numbuh 2.5, "The Shogun is coming back!"_

* * *

Paddy broke the silence when he remarked, "I still remember when they were on our side."

"... Me too," admitted Mushi hollowly.

Joey stayed silent. After all, he was far too young to recall any time when the five teenagers who made up half of the Kids Next Door's Top 10 Most Dangerous Villains List were anything but the organization's enemies.

* * *

 _Paddy shot at an unseen enemy using a battle-worn M.U.S.K.E.T. that had been given to him by his older sister. He backed up against the trunk of a tree, welcoming the security of knowing there couldn't be anyone behind him._

 _"Get out here, Novillo!" he shouted._

 _The branches above him rustled. Something small and shiny fell down to land at his feet._

 _Looking at the shiny wrapper of a candy bar puzzledly, Paddy said, "A coconut log?"_

 _Suddenly, his eyes widened as he came to a realization. Paddy threw himself to the side as a large coconut thunked to the ground where he had been standing just a moment before. With a cry of action, the red-haired boy snapped up his arm and fired mustard blasts up into the leafy branches of the tree._

 _A figure much taller than him jumped out, flipping through the air and landing on his feet a few yards away. His back was towards Paddy. He had blond hair that was just long enough to be tied back into a short ponytail. He wore an orange matador jacket and blue jeans that were too long for his legs. A newspaper hung from his outstretched arm._

 _"Novillo," growled Paddy, "Haven't you done enough? It broke Joey's heart when he found out about you."_

* * *

Joey worked up the courage to softly inquire, "What… What were they like, before?"

Searching for a way to answer the boy's question without hurting him more, Paddy and Mushi glanced at each other. They found no easy solution. The three of them, alone in that dark hallway with the locked door and the whole of planet Earth outside the window, were truly isolated.

"I… What is it that you want to hear?" asked Paddy.

Resolutely, Joey declared, "The truth."

* * *

 _Mushi scowled darkly and raised her weapon to point at the wild-haired, violet-dressed teenage figure gliding emotionlessly toward the cowering forms of two KND operatives on the ground. Paddy and Joey. Somehow, they had both gotten away from the other villains, only to be cornered by the raggedy teenage girl. Mushi pulled the trigger and fired._

 _A teddy bear hit the teenager on the head._

 _The teen paused in her cold stride and slowly turned to face her new foe. Mushi could see the black choker around the girl's pale neck and the red jewel decorating her collar. The eye not hidden by the teen's hair was caked in dark eyeshadow and thick mascara. Her expression was absolutely frigid. Swept forward to cover half her face, the teenager's black hair was an unkempt crow's nest of tangles and choppy locks, a witch's broom. Fitting, for such a dark and icy enchantress._

 _The oldest of the teenagers was Captain, who was almost seventeen. This gothic, haunting girl in front of Mushi was the youngest of the five villains attacking the Kids Next Door today. She was perhaps sixteen years old. However, her age did not belie her status. "Empress", as she called herself, stood unchallenged as the second-most feared of the Traitors Victorious. The frost-hearted witch was notoriously unstable - the slightest offense could break her glacial disdain for the world and set her off on anyone. Well, anyone but her four villainous friends, it would seem. The loyalty she had for them was strange, considering how easily she could have blamed them for the incident that had made her the cruel girl she was today._

 _"Hey,_ Empress _!" shouted Mushi boldly and without trepidation, "Remember me?"_

* * *

"You want the truth...?" said Paddy with a tired sigh, "They were great. Everyone looked up to them. They were the best since Sector Z - and given what happened to Sector Z, maybe there's some kind of curse on being the best team in the KND… But the way that those five, the 'Traitors Victorious' as Mushi calls them, turned against us… No one could have seen it coming."

Mushi continued bitterly, "They used to be heroes. Living legends… I actually hated them, especially the Shogun, back when they were the good guys. But I was a real brat when I was in kindergarten. Those traitors… before they were traitors, they were perfect operatives. Everything the Kids Next Door is supposed to be. They were so. _Cruddy. Invincible._ " She spat, "So much for that. They _broke_. All of them."

Joey asked, "But how did it happen?"

Paddy explained sympathetically, "Joey, you have to understand that it wasn't a single event. Sector V turned against the Kids Next Door one by one. It started with Numbuh 5 joining Stickybeard… then Numbuh 2 taking over as the Cheese Shogun… then it was your older brother and the bullies..."

Scowling, Mushi stated venomously, "Someone should've realized what was happening and pulled the rest of them out."

"But when? That's the question," refuted Paddy, "At what point could anyone have believed it was inevitable?"

Mushi shouted, "Once is a tragedy, twice is a coincidence, three is a pattern! Someone in Global Command should have _done_ something after Numbuh 4!"

"They _did_ do something," protested Paddy, "They dissolved the sector. They transferred everyone who was left, including me, Sonia, and Lee, to Sector W. Well, back to Sector W, in our case."

Mushi growled acridly, "Not soon enough to save my sister from those stupid caramels. Hah," she barked an ironic laugh, "And it didn't even help the last of them. Their _Leader_."

* * *

 _A blast of fiery heat and dry air blew past everyone on the innocuous, suburban street that had suddenly become a battleground. The children froze in terror. The teen villains halted their attacks and turned to look in the direction it had come from._

 _The Shogun grumbled in a voice that was unmistakably Hoagie Gilligan's, "It's about time."_

 _In the distance but coming closer with every purposeful step was a flaming silhouette wearing mirrored, yellow glasses. There was a pipe hanging around his neck by a cord, dangling like a trophy._

 _The fire died down as he approached, but that did not make the shadowy teen any less intimidating. Once he was close enough to be heard, he announced in a clipped, noticeably British accent, "That was a valiant effort, Kids Next Door. A localized Alamode bomb, very clever. Poetic. Unfortunately for you, I don't share my uncle's weakness to_ ice cream _."_

 _Captain sheathed her cutlass back into her belt, walking away from the child she had been threatening at swordpoint. She berated the newly arrived pyrokinetic villain, "Took ya long enough, Leader. Let's get on with this already. Captain has got other places to be, baby."_

 _"Of course," replied Leader. With a cocky swagger to his step as his villainous, teenage friends began gathering behind him, Leader addressed the scattered KND operatives, "This is your last chance, Kids Next Door. Retreat. Run away. We're not here to fight any of you, so if you just go and let us do what we came here to do, we'll leave you alone. That's a promise from the Teens Victorious."_

 _The Kids Next Door retreated. Three different sectors, all fighting to defend an emotionally significant KND stronghold from five teens, and they failed. It might've only been a relic of times long past that they were trying to save, but to many, especially the younger ones who in their minds had separated the legendary KND operatives from the accursed traitors, it was a source of hope._

 _The children boarded their S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s and flew away._

 _Some of them cried as they watched Sector V's treehouse go up in smoke and flames behind them._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This is based on a brilliant and inspiring (in a rather dark way) fan art series titled "NO MORE KND" on DeviantArt. It's by the artist hendocrinogeno, and he was nice enough to let me use his character designs for a villainous Sector V in this fic, so go check him out.

I'm considering turning this idea into a longer fic in the future, once I'm done with Last Resort. Any input on that?


	4. Yipper GO

**Yipper GO**

Tens of thousands of children from all over the world filled the stands of a massive, open-air stadium. Curious chatter and speculation filled the air.

For the height of summertime, the weather was fairly cool. The skies were blue and cloudless. Conditions were perfect for spending the day outside.

Numbuh 362, Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door, tightened her grip on the sides of the wooden podium at which she stood, centerfield. A light breeze chilled the skin on her face and played with locks of her blonde hair. Her trusted friend and advisor, Global Tactical Officer Numbuh 86, cleared her throat behind her.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" screamed the red-haired girl.

Silence fell like an anvil.

Numbuh 362 nodded, "Thank you, Fanny," and then addressed the crowd, "Greetings, Kids Next Door. I know it's unusual to call all of you here to the convention center, but I have a very important announcement to make."

Someone in the front row shouted, "This isn't another game of tag, is it?"

Hushed whisperings abounded.

"No, no, this isn't about tag," Numbuh 362 hurriedly quelled her audience's apprehension, "This is about Yipper - Yipper, and what adults are doing to take over the game."

She held up a smartphone to the crowd as she continued, "Yipper has been around for a while. The kids who loved it when it first came out are adults and teenagers now. Many of them have joined the app Yipper GO, crowding out the kids who want to play. They have phones and cars and resources that kids don't when it comes to the game - and they're taking advantage of it. What few kids have the means to play Yipper GO continuously find themselves far outmatched by teens and adults who ignore whatever work they should be doing in favor of spending all their time on the game. Well, to that, the Kids Next Door say no more!"

The audience roared their approval en masse, "Yeah!"

"Today," solemnly declared the Supreme Leader, "We take back the world of Yipper! For kids!"

* * *

A KND D.R.O.P.P.U.H.-P.O.D. fell through the air and crashed into the the street outside a city cafe. Several groups of stunned teenagers were sitting at the tables outside of the cafe, and they glanced up from the screens of their phones to stare at the strange vessel embedded in the cracked asphalt.

Then, suddenly, the pod was kicked open from the inside, and Numbuh 363 of Sector W leaped out. He pointed a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. at the teens, shouting, "Kids Next Door, battle stations!"

A dozen children wearing armor made out of kitchenware and carrying crude weapons charged out of bushes, alleyways, and trash cans.

"What the heck?" exclaimed Cree Lincoln angrily as she set down her phone.

Numbuh 363 cackled and gloated, "This gym is ours now, teenager."

The teens gathered behind Cree and glared at the children collectively.

"Says who?" asked Cree.

Numbuh 363 pulled a "homemade" 2x4 electronic tablet out of his pocket and flashed the slightly dented screen at the crowd with a cocky smirk on his face. He exclaimed, "Says me! The new gym leader!"

He was actually standing too far away for anyone else to see whatever was on his screen, but his loud claim prompted everyone to look down at their own phones and tablets.

"No way!" gasped one of the teen boys, "A level 95 scorchizard!"

Derisively, another teen sneered, "And he's team yellow!"

Cree curled her fingers into fists and darkly growled, "This means war, brat."

"You're on!" responded 363 with unshakable arrogance.

Most of the teens at the cafe began furiously tapping away at the screens of their devices. The KND, who by that point had managed to level up and fortify their gym several times over, glowered petulantly at their enemies for several moments. Then, unable to actually do anything to defend their digital fortress, they scattered in search of more Yipper monsters. Only Numbuh 363 remained, laughing nasally as the teens barely scratched away at his scorchizard's health bar.

Cree raised her right arm to the side, allowing the gauntlet of her Battle Ready Armor to form over her wrist. She activated the laser in it and pointed her weapon at Numbuh 363.

 _Pew!_

"Agh!"

She adopted a cruel look of satisfaction and then joined the fight for the gym on her own smartphone.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Sector V's favorite candy store…

Mr. Jelly, more notoriously known as the supervillain Knightbrace, fumed behind the counter of his family's candy shop. The sight of his archenemies, Numbuhs 1 through 5 of Sector V, doing nothing but loiter around on their phones enraged him. (Since when did the brats have phones? Then again, the devices seemed to be made of scrap wood and bubble gum, so they were likely just pieces of 2x4 tech.)

He shouted, "If you're not actually going to buy anything, then get out!"

"Relax, taffy-tooth," replied Numbuh 5 coolly, "We're just claimin' the Yipper gym at your store here. 'Sides, don't it make you happy that we ain't eatin' no candy right now?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't make you kids any less annoying!"

 _Crash!_

The entire eastern wall of the store became rubble as the bow of a giant pirate ship ploughed into it. The ceiling didn't fare much better than the wall.

"Argh," said the lollipop-bearded captain of the vessel with a beady glare and a threatening wave of his candy-cane hook, "What scallywag be takin' me gym?"

The candy shop owner stopped staring up at Stickybeard and regained the the facilities of mind to point at Sector V, exclaiming, "It was them!"

"Argh?" Stickybeard turned his head to look over the other side of his ship, and his scowl turned into a sinister grin as he spotted the children, "If it isn't me archenemies, Sector V."

Numbuh 1 crossed his arms and replied flatly, "If it isn't the salty old pirate who's been taking over every Yipper gym this side of the city. Well, we aren't going to let you get past the city park. Kids Next Door," he shouted, "Battle stations!"

As the children and the candy pirates fought each other with swords and mustard, Mr. Jelly was left helpless to watch them destroy his store.

* * *

In the midst of a battle that was waged partly with 2x4 weapons and partly on the Yipper GO app, Numbuh 86 stepped out from behind her cover and shouted, "KIDS NEXT DOOR! There's a steamasaur at the Delightful Mansion!"

Every KND operative stopped firing at the ice cream men on the other side of the suburban street, dropped their weapons, and charged toward the park.

The villainous henchmen whom they'd been fighting looked at each other puzzledly, then followed suit after the children.

* * *

The Delightful Children stared in horror as giant, endless streams of kids, teens, and adults trampled the carefully manicured lawn of their manor.

"What are you doing?!" they screamed helplessly, the faceless crowd flowing around them.

Numbuh 2 of Sector V was the one who glanced up from the screen of his device and replied, "We're trying to catch the Yipper steamasaur that spawned at your place here. Oh, there it is!"

He rushed off, soon lost in the sea of humanity.

"... Yipper?"

The Delightfuls were left to numbly glance at each other. Then, they noticed a familiar figure in the crowd.

"Father!" they called out.

"Hm?" The silhouetted supervillain looked up from his phone, "Oh, hello, my Delightful Children. Did you know there's a steamasaur that spawned somewhere around here?"

"..." The Delightful Children were speechless.

Father dismissively waved them off, "I'll see you home in time for dinner. Unless you'd like to join us adults in the Yipper war against those annoying Kids Next Door, of course. We're team blue!"

He rejoined the herd of people walking with their gaze on the screens of their devices.

The Delightfuls gaped and, as they watched Teen Ninjas, KND operatives, and adult supervillains go by, wondered if they were the only sane people left on Earth.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Based on an idea suggested by numbuh27 on the KND fanforum at kndfanforum/freeforums/net - replace backslashes with dots.


	5. Equilibrium

**Author's Note:** This is the first chapter of a time-travel fic that I really wanted to write a few months ago but lost the inspiration to finish. I have another chapter of it completed, but I don't want to post it so long as I don't plan on completing the story. The concept here stands much better on its own.

* * *

 _ **Equilibrium**_

 **Chapter 1: Blinded by Science**

Numbuh 74.239 ran his tongue over the slick wires of the braces on his front teeth in nervous habit. He quickly patted down the unruliest puffs of his carrot-colored hair and straightened the frock of his neatly pressed lab coat. The freckled-faced KND scientist stood alone in the brightly lit (and very damp) docking bay of the Deep Sea Science Lab. However, in just a moment, he would be joined by five distinguished guests whom he and his research team had been eagerly awaiting for quite some time.

The first sign of their arrival was when the house-sized pool of water in front of 74.239 began bubbling and roiling. Water was splashing all over the concrete floor and forming puddles around his feet. Beaming in anticipation, the pint-sized scientist pulled out of a deep pocket a collapsible umbrella, which - unlike most objects that resided within the pockets of KND operatives - he proceeded to use more or less as one would expect to see an umbrella used. He popped it open and, just in time, shielded himself with it from the salty spray of water that resulted from the surfacing of a Kids Next Door S.U.B.S.T.A.N.D.A.R.D.

With a hiss from the depressurizing submarine, the main hatch of the vehicle opened and a set of stairs extended down to touch the dock. Five pairs of shoes, one by one, stepped past the yellow caution line at the edge of the pool as the operatives debarked.

"Welcome!" exclaimed Numbuh 74.239 with a quick salute and the slightest of lisps, "Thank you so much for coming, Sector V!"

"Thank you for inviting us, Numbuh 74.239," replied Nigel Uno.

Indeed, before him stood Numbuhs 1-5 of Sector V, living legends of the Kids Next Door.

Nodding respectfully, 74.239 turned around and said with a paper-thin layer of calmness concealing his exploding excitement, "I'm very glad you're here. I think you'll find our project most fascinating. Please, follow me."

He led them toward a door that led down into the mysterious, top-secret depths of the Deep Sea Lab. In front of it, he stood still, allowing the treehouse computer to recognize his face and unlock the door. There was a clang within the mechanism in the walls, and the thick, steel barrier slid aside. With a wave of his arm, the red-haired nerd allowed the Deep Sea Base's guests to proceed before him. He watched them carefully as they passed by in single file.

Numbuhs 1, 2, and 5 seemed curious about what he'd invited them down to the lab for, but professional enough not to bother him about it immediately. Numbuh 3 was oohing and ahhing at every little thing in the docking bay and the very plain hallway ahead, even though the place was nothing special. She looked like the kind of person who would try to touch every shiny object she came across - 74.239 made a note to keep an eye on her until they got to the Vault. Numbuh 4 appeared incredibly bored with his surroundings, and was occupying himself with the quadruple-extra-gi-hugic cup of soda he was hugging in his arms. The disproportionately small straw was practically floating out of the lid as the boy slurped at the massive amount of soda inside.

"Uh-bup-bup! Hold it," Numbuh 74.239 lifted his arm in a stop signal, "That soda is a potential contaminant to many ongoing research projects. Not the one I'm taking you to, but I still can't let you bring it into the lab."

Wallabee Beetles widened his eyes and protested, "But I'm not even halfway done yet! And this thing cost me like, two weeks' and seven quarters' allowance!"

Adamantly, Numbuh 74.239 shook his head and responded, "Sorry, no exceptions."

Nigel was impatiently tapping his foot against the floor as he said, "Numbuh 4, just leave it here for when we get back."

"But it'll go all flat and warm if this cruddy tour goes on for long enough!" complained the blond boy.

It was Hoagie Gilligan who proposed a compromise, "You can still have food and drinks in the hallway, right? And the observation room in most labs?"

"Hm," Numbuh 74.239 scratched his chin as he considered what Sector V's 2x4 expert had just suggested, eventually replying, "Yeah, you can. I guess that works too."

He stepped aside and allowed Wally to rejoin his teammates. 74.239 made a shooing motion to signal Sector V to keep walking down the gentle slope of the sheet metal lined hall.

"Great," said Wally with a scowl, "At least I can keep my soda while we get bored to death!"

Numbuh 74.239 quickened his pace to match that of the agitated blond. He said, "Ah, but only until we get to the observation room. You'll have to leave it there before we go into the lab area."

Hoagie interjected questioningly, "But I thought guests always had to stay in the observation room. What if we accidentally mess something up?"

With a chuckle, 74.239 shook his head and proclaimed, "Trust me, you're not going to."

"How can you be so sure, baby?" asked Abigail Lincoln, joining in on the conversation.

"The lab I'm taking you to is sealed tighter than Knightbrace's cavity fillings," bragged the boy scientist as he pulled ahead to lead the group down another hall, "You'd need a blowtorch or a hacksaw to get at anything you could mess with badly enough to cause problems. We don't even keep the control systems in the same room as this project. Believe me, it's super-triple-foolproof!"

* * *

Finally, after a labyrinthian amount of turns and double-backs, Numbuh 74.239 stopped at a plain, steel door with a uselessly small window in the top. It looked just like all the others in that same hallway and all the other hallways they had already walked through. Embedded into the wall next to the door was a semi-circular console that was equipped with an intercom and a variable genetic material scanner (boogers, earwax, or saliva - although the latter only straight off the tongue, which, for obvious reasons, was why most kids preferred to provide one of the former options).

Numbuh 74.239 pressed and held the button next to the intercom, saying into it, "This is Numbuh 74.239. I'm here with Numbuhs 1 through 5 of Sector V for the presentation. Admit six, please."

He released the button and waited for a reply.

None came.

He shrugged, "Eh, they must all be down in the lab. Gimme a second."

Numbuh 74.239 raised his index finger and stuck it up his right nostril. With a deliberate snort, he picked a particularly sticky booger and removed his finger. He gave the booger specimen a moment's consideration, and then forcefully stuck it inside the dish of the genetic material scanner, where it was vacuumed off his finger. The only sound was Wally slurping down as much of his quadruple-extra-gi-hugic soda as he could before he had to leave it behind.

 _Beep._

A red light above the console turned green. With a pneumatic _woosh_ , the door slid open.

Sinking into a showman's bow, Numbuh 74.239 allowed Sector V to walk inside ahead of him. Exuberance barely contained and biting his lower lip in anticipation, he followed after Abby.

Then, suddenly, his happy enthusiasm popped like a balloon, replaced by needles of aggravation when he saw that there was another KND scientist already standing on the carpet inside the room.

"Numbuh 71.562," grumbled the red-haired scientist darkly, "You're _supposed_ to open the door when asked by authorized personnel."

The dark-haired, bespectacled, buck-toothed scientist responded triumphantly, " _Excuse_ me, but protocol dictates that anyone bringing in guests must supply his or her own genetic material to have it on record when they were allowed access to labs above their clearance. _Sir_."

" _Ugh_ , nerd fight. _Woohoo_ ," groaned Wally in a pause between swigs of soda.

74.239 crossed his arms and flatly responded, "Sector V already _has_ clearance, Numbuh 71.562."

"Really?" exclaimed 71.562, genuinely surprised, "Well, no one ever told _me_!"

"Yeah, well, you're not in charge of their tour," snapped 74.239, sticking his tongue out at the fifth-grade scientist in a silent insult. He then turned and said to Sector V, "Moving along… Welcome to the observation room of Research Lab Z! It's the largest observation room in the entire base, so we converted it into a control center for our project down below."

Lining all the walls and forming aisles in the middle of the room were rows of computer and monitoring systems. Blinking lights, gauges, a myriad of readouts and buttons - the converted observation room looked like a NASA control center.

Numbuh 74.239 herded Sector V toward the wide, glass observation window on the other side of the room. It overlooked the lab below - if it could be called a lab.

The space beyond the observation window gave off the cavernous impression of a tall warehouse while maintaining the sterile feeling of a dentist's office. The walls, floor, and presumably the ceiling were all made of giant pieces of blue-gray sheet metal riveted or welded together. Everything looked airtight. Giant floodlights embedded in the walls shone almost blindingly down on the floor space. The room more resembled the world's emptiest and most high tech fall out shelter than a research lab. Only the half-dozen KND scientists milling about around the floor made it clear that this was a research lab in use.

"This," said 74.239 with an air of pride, "Is the Vault."

"So," Hoagie was confused, "Where's the project?"

Numbuh 74.239 chuckled, "Oh, you don't understand. The Vault _is_ the project. Come see!"

He walked to the only other door in the observation room and pulled it open. On the other side was a concrete catwalk and a set of stairs. This was the entrance to the lab down below.

"Numbuh 4, you can just leave your soda on that cart with the projector," said the freckled scientist dismissively.

Sector V followed him out of the observation room and down the steps. Wally didn't even complain about leaving his half-finished soda behind. Upon reaching the floor of the lab space, all of them were distracted by looking up.

Hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier was an enormous, four-pointed mobile, slowly rotating above the center of the room. Hanging from chains at its corners were bizarre conglomerations of duct tape and household appliances. The device was some sort of 2x4 technology, but it was nothing that even Hoagie could recognize.

"Woah," exclaimed the chubby pilot, "Is that what you've been working on?"

"Yup," nodded 74.239, "And it's safely behind a glass ceiling, so you can't even throw anything at it from here. Secure and foolproof."

Nigel mumbled to himself, "I swear, it looks familiar…"

Flatly, Wally asked, "Well, what is it?"

Numbuh 74.239 answered flamboyantly, "It's potentially the _greatest_ achievement in the entire _history_ of KND research. And my use of the word 'history' is just a little ironic, because you see, my friends, _this_ is a _time machine_!"

"A time machine?" Abby was skeptical.

"Yes," replied their guide proudly, "A time machine. You're standing in it right now! I'm the lead researcher on the project - my acquaintance 71.562 is rather jealous."

Kuki Sanban eagerly asked, "Does it really really work?"

"Indeed it does," answered 74.239 with a smirk, "We'll show you some footage of our tests later."

Nigel was amazed, "This is incredible. A working time machine? What would the Kids Next Door even want with it?"

"You're something of a history buff, aren't you, Numbuh 1?" said 74.239, "Well, answer me this: What does the Kids Next Door know about the founding era of the Seventh Age?"

Sector V's leader replied, "Next to nothing. All records from that time period were lost - it's why we only have the legends about Numbuh 0. Well, the legends, and now what's written in the Book of KND."

"And the Book of KND, while a treasure in itself, is sadly nowhere near enough to put together a comprehensive idea of what the founding era was like."

Abby interjected, "So, this time machine is supposed to take you back... just so you can answer a couple a' history questions?"

"Exactly!"

Enthusiastically, Nigel exclaimed, "I think that's a _marvelous_ idea!"

"Ah-hem," Abby cleared her throat.

He revised, "Um… it's probably very hazardous and potentially apocalyptic, too."

"No need to worry," said 74.239, "We're being very careful. Baby steps."

He noticed that the rest of Sector V seemed quite distracted by one thing or another. Numbuh 2 kept glancing at two scientists who had a set of blueprints between them. Numbuh 3 was looking at another pair of scientists who were marking a large circle out on the floor with buckets of red paint. Numbuh 4 was quite clearly just bored.

Numbuh 74.239 made a few suggestions, "Numbuhs 3 and 4, you're welcome to aid us in painting our transport zone." Both immediately left the group without a word. "Numbuh 2, if you'd like, you could go speak with Numbuh 77.328 about the mechanical design of the Vault."

"Really? Yeah, I'd love that! See ya, guys!" exclaimed Sector V's 2x4 expert with a wave as he wandered toward the chubby, African-American boy showing another KND scientist something on the design plans in his hands.

74.239 clapped his hands together, asking the two remaining field operatives with him, "Any other questions?"

"You mentioned you've already done tests?" said Nigel.

He nodded, responding, "Yes, we have. Never with human subjects, but we've sent hamsters back by up to two hours, insects by ten, and plants by twelve. I fully believe we have the capacity to attempt our to reach our ultimate goal right now, but like I said, baby steps. We're inching our way there."

Abby raised an eyebrow and asked, "And that ultimate goal would be when and where, exactly?"

Numbuh 74.239 made a grand gesture at the wall with the observation window. Underneath the catwalk was a large board embedded into the wall. Across the top half was a row of numbers set to yesterday's date being displayed on wheel mechanisms similar to those on a slot machine. On the bottom was television screen displaying the Earth.

"Allow me to show you. This is the target time and location settingfy-er," he announced while yanking down on a lever next to the board.

The numbers spun wildly, exactly like a slot machine. One by one, they dinged to a stop, and they were set to…

"August 11, 1966?" questioned Abby.

74.239 proclaimed, "The exact date of Grandfather's first defeat, as written in the Book of KND forty-one years ago - the dawn of the Seventh Age of Kids Next Door! Someday, when we're ready, we'll send back a team who will document the experience of being a kid during that revolutionary time! And right in the cradle of the Seventh Age."

He took out from another pocket of his lab coat a remote that was little more than bottle caps stuck into a piece of scrap wood (2x4 technology at its finest). With the press of a button, the TV screen showing the Earth began zooming in on part of the image. It went from the entire globe to North America, and then from North America to the eastern seaboard of the United States. From there it narrowed in on the state of Virginia, and then the northern part of the state, and then a single city. Finally, it stopped at a very simplified map of one neighborhood in particular and highlighted a very recognizable landmark…

"Our treehouse?" exclaimed Nigel with no small amount of surprise.

"Yes, indeed," replied the red-haired scientist with great satisfaction, "Given your account of 'Operation Z.E.R.O.', as it was officially named, we know for certain that the Sector V treehouse existed in 1966 as the Treehouse of Coolness, where Numbuh 0 first discovered the Book of KND. We have no idea what state the tree was in, but given how little we know about the rest of the world under Grandfather's rule, it's the safest target location we have."

Abby pointed out, "Baby, ain't time travel dangerous? What if you change something important?"

Numbuh 74.239 responded solemnly, "That's something that was debated before the Vault was even constructed. Trust me, we've given a lot of thought to the risks of time travel. Every thought experiment known to kid-kind was analyzed eleventy ways each, and we came up with a short list of rules that should preserve the larger timestream continuum with no problems."

"Really? What are they?" asked Nigel curiously.

The scientist answered, "Rule one: Don't get yourself on any records if you can help it. By that I mean written records or photographs - things that last. You can introduce yourself to people who haven't met you yet all you like, even your own parents. Human memory is quite fallible. Though, in the case of your own family, we recommend a different last name, just to make you less memorable."

He paused to scratch at his nose before continuing, "Rule two: Know the time period. It's always best to blend in as much as you can. The less you stand out, the better. Rule three is quite obvious, really - don't tell anyone you're a time traveller. And then there's r-rule f-f-fo- _achoo_!"

Numbuh 74.239 sniffled. He pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose loudly before he apologized, "Sorry, where was I?"

"Rule four," said Nigel helpfully.

"Right," 74.239 found his train of thought once more, "Rule four: Don't reference the future or things that haven't happened yet. It makes you suspicious to the locals. More important than any of these, however, is rule five: Don't interfere with events that directly affect your own time. Like, don't avert your own birth, or break something that saved your life or someone else's before that happens. That would be catastrophic and paradox-inducing." He laughed, "Haha, I know that these rules sound really stressful, but they're really nothing to worry about. You see-"

 _BUZZ! BUZZ!_

When the intercom sounded, all the scientists looked up from their work and dropped whatever they were holding onto the floor. Sector V, as visitors unfamiliar with the workings of the Deep Sea Base, were quite startled. Then...

"Oh boy, lunch!"

"Yeah, it's meatball sub day!"

"Race you to the front of the line!"

Almost every resident of the research lab was out the door in ten seconds flat. The only scientists remaining were Numbuhs 74.239 and 71.562.

Hoagie, who had been left holding a set of blueprints in his hands, spoke, "Well, that was… unexpected."

"I wanted to finish painting!" pouted Kuki from the other side of the room. The wet circle on the ground, incomplete though it was, still covered nearly all the floorspace.

Wally lay spread-eagled on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He groaned, "If the dorks are all going to lunch, does that mean we're done now?"

Numbuh 71.562 interjected, "Since we have some peace and quiet now, why don't we show our guests the trial footage?"

"For once, that might actually be a good idea from you, Numbuh 71.562," acknowledged 74.239 backhandedly. The freckled scientist turned and addressed Sector V, "You guys can just stay here. We'll aim the projector at that wall and you can get a better view of it from in the Vault. I'll be narrating over the lab intercom."

The two scientists both walked to the base of the stairs, and upon arriving at the same time, began a shoving match with each other as they tried to be the first to the top.

"So," said Hoagie, "What do you guys think about this time machine thing?"

"It's shiny! And really cool!" remarked Kuki.

"It's boring with a capital C!" complained Wally.

Abby was more reserved in her enthusiasm, "Numbuh 5 thinks it's a lot o' trouble waiting to happen."

Nigel said brightly, "I think it's a project with a lot of potential. Considerable risks as well, but as long as they're careful, the Kids Next Door has a lot to gain from this."

"Ri-ight," chuckled Abby as she teased, "Numbuh 5 almost forgot you was a history nerd, Numbuh 1."

"I- no, I'm not!" protested her sector leader.

Hoagie joined in cheerily, "But you totally are!"

"Am not!"

"Closet nerd!" jeered Wally with a bark of laughter.

"No! I'm really not!"

Kuki giggled, "Of course you are, silly! You love field trips to the museum, and you wrote the plaque they have for the Book of KND, and you still hang out with Numbuh 101 even though he's such a fanboy, and-"

Thankfully for Nigel, the ribbing his teammates were giving him was interrupted by 74.239's voice over the intercom.

"Sector V, may we present to you... the footage of our first test of the Vault!"

Sector V waited. Nothing happened.

"Um, just as soon as we get the projector working," amended the young scientist.

* * *

Inside the observation room, 74.239 sat in a swivel chair in front of a microphone that was attached to a panel of readouts and digital graphs. Next to him, 71.562 was investigating the wire connections between the projector and the main control panel.

"How many times," the dark-haired scientist complained, "Do I have to tell them that yellow goes into the _second_ place on the left?"

His sleeve lightly brushed up against Numbuh 4's unfinished soda.

74.239 said impatiently, "Just fix it already."

"I'm trying, alright? I have to move everything over a spot. Just tell them about the experiments before we show them."

* * *

In the Vault, Sector V heard their guide's voice come over the intercom once again, saying, "Well, my friends, we started our experiments with plants, sending them back in time by about five minutes. Gradually, we increased the displacement up to several hours before moving onto insects and recently hamsters. We've experienced greater power drain than anticipated, but that should be easily remedied. Our accuracy is very impressive… but you're probably not interested in all these little details."

"You're cruddy right, we aren't!" exclaimed Wally grumpily.

74.239 continued, "In summary, we haven't worked out all the bugs yet, but someday- Oh no, what have you done?!"

Suddenly, the giant mobile of 2x4 technology above the children in the Vault began accelerating its rotation at a frightening rate. The roar of its motor was growing louder. Electricity arced from the walls to the floor around the edge of the painted circle. The five members of Sector V backed away from the surge of electrical discharge, clustering together near the center of the transport zone.

"W-what's happening?" stuttered Wally, frightened.

Inside the observation room, Numbuh 71.562 felt panic hammer through his chest as he stared in pure horror at the spilled soda on the control panel in front of him. He hadn't meant to knock it over - but that didn't change the fact that he had. And now the console was activating the time machine.

"Shut it down!" shouted 74.239 from next to him.

He reacted by slamming a hand down on the wet and sparking emergency shutdown button, but it was no use at all.

Wide-eyed and terrified, Numbuh 74.239 cursed and yelled a desperate warning into the microphone, "Sector V, you have to get out of there!"

Too late. They were gone in a blinding flash.


End file.
